source: The Heart of Christmas

Shut this garbage off after 20 minutes. Terrible acting, totally depressing and not Christmas related at all. Just a huge infomercial for St.. Jude. BTW, the kid dies and the parents are now divorced. Kinda kills the whole theme of the movie.

The storyline was there, but the acting was the worst! Where were the directors? And was St. Jude the purse behind the production, because it was a very long commercial for them. I mean they do good work but

I'm not a "pearl clutching" type but my oh my, the venom being hurled at this film as being "just a commercial", well, no it's not just a commercial it's a movie and yes it's also trying to raise funds for....sick kids and desperate parents, what's wrong with that? Then there seems to be this bickering over the acting with some feeling they have to praise it and others ripping on it. Reality is, the acting was acceptable and got the job done, really not the point of the film. So, how about I actually review the film itself eh? I don't want to spoil stuff but I'll just say I popped it in a few Christmases ago not super paying attention at 1st cuz figured it was gonna be another standard fare Candace/Hallmark film - which I enjoy them - but just saying I had no idea how serious this was going to get. I do recommend this film and won't give away specific plot details but will "forewarn" parents, this does deal with the often harsh realities of children getting sick, there's no graphic surgeries shown or anything like that, but this is about a real childrens ward and not all the characters are going to have a happy ending.

BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THAT PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 Christmas MOVIES. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM FARE ABOUT THESE FILMS. The Heart of Christmas is a 2011 American Christian drama feature film directed by Gary Wheeler. It stars Candace Cameron Bure, Erin Bethea, Jeanne Neilson, Eric Jay Beck, George Newbern and Matthew West in his film debut. It is based on a true story. It involves a woman's encounter with a family caring for a child with acute leukemia and how it transforms her faith and her attitude about her own family. Megan Walsh is a successful businesswoman who does not seem to have enough time for her husband and two children. While taking her children trick-or-treating during Halloween, she encounters a confusing situation in which many families are decorating for Christmas (which is nearly two months away). Their explanation is that they are trying to provide one last Christmas for Dax Locke, a toddler in their neighborhood who is dying of a rare form of leukemia. Curious, Megan reads Dax's mother Julie's blog and learns about the Lockes' journey. Inspired, Megan examines her own life and priorities This family theme film is well made and I enjoyed the film. ***SPOILERS Ahead***. In this film a family is doing everything it can save their child from dying of leukemia. They spend months and months at St Joseph but the child loses his fight. Now I loved the way they did this film. It was a different approach and that we see the film through the eyes of a person who is reading a blog about the family dealing with a child with cancer. If you lost a child please don't watch this. The ending is uplifting however it is still "A True Story" and my heart just breaks when I think of this film. This film is very good! Its just that watching not only a child suffering but watching a family feeling hopeless is also very hard. If you don't cry watching this film then you are not human.

I created an account purely to submit a review because I am beyond shocked that this has any positive ratings. 1. It is most definitely an infomercial for St Judes. Nothing wrong with that hospital but this is a very long infomercial for them. Not a movie. 2. It is not about Christmas and barely addresses Christmas or any plot outside of the Infomercial. What little there is is very minimal and strung together 3. Candace Cameron Bure shouldn't be listed so highly in the list of actors in this movie. She's barely in it.

I felt like I was right there with them all. So real and professionally acted. You feel moved by the emotions and want to see them get through their trials. The child actors are tops in their field! I couldn't imagine how these tots could take such complex directing so well. And their filling the roles of their little charactors was so impressive. Directing, music, camera work, editing, and cinematography are spot-on. My faith, and appreciation, were greatly bolstered.

The storyline was good, but the acting was definitely lacking. VERY dry emotion.

Watched this movie with my family. It truly is so well produced! The actors were just phenomenal. This movie has impacted all of our lives and has spurred on the will to try and help more children and more people who are suffering in this world. Always love those who are nearest to you and cherish every moment!